Pace Brings Dockless Bike Sharing To Chicago’s South Side

Chicago Becomes First Major U.S. City to Require Lock-to Technology - A Feature Pioneered by Pace - In Its Dockless Bike Sharing Program

BOSTON, May 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pace, a nationwide dockless bike sharing service for smart cities and colleges, today announced its participation in Chicago’s new dockless bike sharing pilot program, which begins today and runs through November 1. Through the spring, summer and fall, Chicago residents and visitors will be able to rent one of 250 Pace smart bikes available at bike racks throughout South Side neighborhoods. Pace provides this top-three U.S. city with a modern, affordable, equitable new transportation option at no cost to taxpayers.

Notably, with the launch of its dockless pilot, Chicago becomes the first major U.S. city to establish a requirement that participating dockless bike share vendors use technology on each bike to lock it to a fixed object at the end of a rental trip. This “lock-to” technology - which Pace pioneered - helps cities mitigate the bike litter, theft, and obstruction of public rights-of-way that other cities have seen with ‘free floating’ dockless bike sharing programs. Beginning on July 1, dockless bike share providers participating in Chicago’s program must guarantee “lock-to” technology.

Since its launch in December, 2017, Pace has quickly expanded its footprint across the U.S. as more and more cities want the benefits of modern dockless bike sharing programs, but without the drawbacks of ‘free floating’ models. With its Chicago launch, Pace is now live in six markets and coming to dozens more in 2018.

“We’ve long believed that all U.S. cities will move to lock-to dockless bike sharing, which provides the ideal combination of predictability and flexibility for riders while preserving order and safety for communities,” said Tim Ericson, Chief Executive Officer for Pace’s parent, Zagster. “We applaud Chicago’s city leaders for being early adopters of smart regulations that keep the bike share industry moving forward, while preserving public order, ensuring equity, and scaling smartly. Since we launched Pace last fall, we’ve made the conscious choice only to enter markets that share our vision for bike sharing. We are excited to see more and more cities - especially ones as large as Chicago - adopt lock-to requirements and regulations.”

To ride Pace, users simply download the free Pace app available in the App Store and Google Play. One tap automatically unlocks a Pace smart bike, allowing riders to get rolling in seconds. The first trip is free, and riders can choose between affordable usage-based pricing at $1 per 30 minutes or monthly subscription plans. In support of Chicago’s dockless pilot program, Pace will also roll out new pricing and payment options that make the service even more equitable and accessible, including support for cash payments and non-smartphone rentals.

About Pace

Pace is a nationwide dockless bike sharing service for cities and universities that offers all the benefits of dockless bike sharing, with none of the drawbacks. Powered by Zagster — the U.S. leader in bike sharing, with more than 250 bike shares across 35 states — Pace features a first-of-its-kind bike sharing model that blends predictability and flexibility for riders while preserving order and safety for communities. Pace’s lock-to technology ensures bikes are always secured to fixed objects when not in use, while a mix of intelligently placed bike share parking, plus the freedom of being able to lock Pace bikes to public racks, enables point-to-point travel while ensuring riders can reliably add bike sharing to their daily transit mix.

Founded in 2007, and headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Zagster operates more than 200 bike shares across 35 states. Zagster pioneered the smart bike platform that enabled bike sharing to flourish in communities of all types and sizes nationwide. The company’s goal: To make the bike the most loved form of transportation in every community.

More information about Zagster and its programs can be found at www.zagster.com.

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